ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Who THEY Are

Benjamin Franklin is a public elementary (PreK-5) school in District 41.

Where THEY Are

Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

Enrollment

Over 550 students enrolled in grades pre-K-5.

Vision

Ignite passion. Inspire excellence. Imagine possibilities.

Mission

We embrace the future with optimism, working in partnership with our community on behalf of our children. We develop intellect, engage creativity, foster responsibility, and build positive and collaborative relationships to enable all children to thrive in a changing and increasingly global society.

Students’ Academic Performance

As of 2016, the percent of students at this school who pass the Partnership for Assessments of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) across all subjects is significantly higher than the average for Illinois:

Benjamin Franklin Elementary School: 66.1%

Illinois average: 31.2%

DuPage County average: 51.9%

This school particularly excels in Math with a passing rate of 68.5% (IL average of 29.2%).

What our students and teachers did as a project.

What our teachers and students say about collaboration.

INTERESTED IN TRANSFORMING YOUR SCHOOL?

For more information on how Illinois21 can help you become a MINDQUEST21 site email us: info@ilc21.org

CASE STUDIES

Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, Glen Ellyn 41, Illinois

Overview

Benjamin Franklin Elementary School exemplifies district and community commitment to preparing students for a rapidly changing world. A diverse population of 570 students attends Franklin Elementary (pre-k to 5) in Chicago’s western suburbs.

Franklin’s principal and teachers, aided by the Illinois Consortium for 21st Century Schools (Illinois21) MindQuest21 consultant team and empowered by district leaders, turned the district’s multi-year, district-wide strategic “Think Tank” planning process into reality. After introduction to the MindQuest21 framework, grade level teams started their collaborative planning, implementing, and assessing project-based-learning units.

The MindQuest21 model became a major channel for Franklin students’ development of collaboration, communication and critical thinking skills. Students are “evolving in their group work, and they’re taking control of the role they play when they work with other students,” notes teacher-leader Sarah Rodriguez. “They’re collaborating with people outside of their classrooms. And they’re reflecting on what they’re doing more often and how productive they were.”

Rodriguez saw positive results as her students take ownership for their learning. “Even though it’s hard for [teachers] to let go sometimes and let kids problem solve and let projects evolve, it’s happening and it’s leading to critical thinking and students being really collaborative.”

Fifth grader Elyssa Fischer spoke to the value of her own experience with an environmental research project on emerald ash borers, a pest that’s had a major impact on local ash trees. In addition to sharing her findings on a glog (a graphic blog), she raised funds with her peers to plant new trees. “I got to learn a lot more about technology,” said Elyssa, “and it also helped us do a little bit for our community.”

The shift to project-based learning, increasing content specialization and multiage instruction had placed new demands on Franklin’s teachers. Rodriguez and others have risen to the challenge, with the help of formal and informal structures for professional collaboration and growth through the MindQuest21 model.

While adding their own student-centered expertise to the MindQuest21PBLmodel, the teachers built a culture of collaboration to enrich student learning and their own professional development. In the following years, district leaders empowered the teams to implement their recommended structural changes in scheduling, curriculum design, and assessment so as help them sustain their problem solving-centered approach to instruction

“Our staff meet in professional learning community’s multiple times per week,” noted Principal Kirk Samples. “The composition of the PLCs is flexible, enabling different groups of teachers to work together on project- based learning and other curricular initiatives. The district also provided the leadership by giving us eight professional development days—used mostly before the start of school each year—to help.

In 2014, The Partnership for 21s Century Skills (P21) selected Benjamin Franklin as an Exemplar School of Innovation. P21’s Executive Director, Helen Soule, who chaired this school’s review team hailed it as “the best example of all school PBL implementation I have seen.”

Goals

Align school practice with the district vision, mission and structural change recommendations for developing 21st Century Learners.

Implement MindQuest21as the primary method of instruction in the school’s STEAM curriculum.

Enable students as 21st Century Learners through MindQuest21 model for learning

Build grade level teams as Professional Learning Communities who will sustain the project and scale to other district schools.

Dedicate time for cross-disciplinary projects through collaboration.

Create a STEAM Lab/Maker Space.

Specifications

Winter, 2012: With support from the Illinois21 and an eye towards the Partnership for 21’s Skills (P21) Framework for 21st Century Learning, the Think Tank surveyed educators, reviewed research, visited other districts and wrote the District 41 Learner Characteristics.

Spring 2012: Illinois21 and District 41 leaders planned a one year pilot.

Summer, 2012: Illinois21 introduces teachers, site and district leaders to MindQuest21 in a 4-day work-session to develop PBL unit plans.

Summer, 2013: Final report to Asst. Superintendent: Accomplishment of All Goals and recommendations for scaling PBL across district.

Fall, 2013: Teachers make operations recommendations to School Board regarding multi-age classrooms, schedules and other needs for sustaining PBL.

Summer, 2014: P21 recognizes Ben Franklin as Exemplar

“My third grade students thoroughly enjoyed our first PBL unit. My students were excited to work on it and their collaboration and peer learning “Wowed” me! Students who had been resistant to do work were excited and motivated. The best thing of all they were having a blast and learning the content they needed to know!”